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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Saturday Morning Reflection

On a Sunday... and no doubt it will be evening by the time this is published!

Along the path of the outdoor walking stations of the cross at a local shrine.

Good news! I am feeling so much better with the new diet (I prefer lifestyle rather than diet since it is for life). I thank God that my withdrawal symptoms were minor and a little summer cold helped suppress the insane hunger. For the first time in so long, longer than I can remember, I felt just plain tired from the day, instead of extremely tired or some other kind of tired even though I barely did anything. I also have at least double, if not more, energy than before! My mind is clearing up as well, and does not feel dull and foggy. It really is amazing what is one man's food is another's poison.

On the technical side, I said in a comment that I would post my Celiac panel test results. Interestingly enough, my doctor diagnosed me with only a positive AGA-IgG and AGA-IgA. And most likely using family history. By itself, those two tests being positive mean at the very least a gluten sensitivity or leaky gut syndrome of some kind. (The test shows markers the body puts out when
attacking foreign objects, in this particular case, gluten.) Both my EMA and TtG tests, both of which are more specific to Celiac came back negative. I chose not to have a biopsy done and my doctor did not bring it up. A positive biopsy of the small intestine showing damage is the gold seal for diagnostics but more and more doctors are diagnosing on bloodwork alone given family history. Skipper was the only one who underwent the procedure. The poor kid had so much damage the GI doctor could see it even before taking the biopsies to be sent away for confirmation. But now he's growing like a weed. Praise God that we only have to change what we eat to be healthier - no medicines and no medical procedures other than follow-up blood tests!

I am so thankful for Confession. The kids and I visited a local shrine (dedicated to Our Lady). We visited some of the grottos - they have a walking outdoor stations of the cross - before heading into the small chapel for Confession. We did not stay for Mass but plan to in the future. This little place is only a ten minute drive from me and offers daily Mass and Confession.

Our newest family member and one reason I could not get on the computer yesterday:

She is a 4.5 month old lab mix we call Lucy (Skipper's suggestion). Lucy is definitely all puppy but smart as a whip. She came to us after living in at least two other homes and so has learned a few bad habits, but in just the past few days she has really caught on to who's the boss (hint: not her!). Given maturity and training, Lucy has the potential to be a great family dog.

This week will be low-key because of Lucy but we need to do a few errands: register Lucy with the county, the vet, and the library. The rest will quickly be filled in with play (possibly the last pool play of the season), school, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and dog training. And not necessarily in that order!

I am planning to finalize a post on our school year that's been in the drafts forever. It will depend on a certain puppy, baby, and daily chores.

I am thinking that somehow there is a thought between training a dog and the faith. Hmm, a little more thinking on that and perhaps a future post.

A little humor... I was deboning a roasted chicken to use the bones up for broth when Critter asks Skipper, "I wonder where chickens come from? Maybe a pig?"

For our Summer with the Saints meeting this week we will be celebrating Saint Peter the Apostle (feast day is June 29th). I was having ...

31 Days

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My journal of physical & spiritual healing.

O Blessed Virgin, pray to God for us always, that He may pardon us and give us grace, pray to God for us always, that He may grant us peace in this life pray to God for us always, that He may reward us with paradise at our death.

Amen.

About Me

My name is Nicole. I am a Roman Catholic homeschooling mom to my four stair-steppin' children. I love to blog about bits of my faith, living the liturgical year, homeschooling, snippets of life, and meandering thoughts.